This invention relates to absorption type air conditioning systems, and more particularly to a novel and useful integral water well, solar powered absorption type air conditioning system. Prior art absorption type air conditioning and refrigeration systems include external means to produce cooling from a supply of water or moving air; and, solar types of such systems include a separate hot water system energized by a closed loop hot water cycle heated by solar energy. The present invention includes a novel design and structure to integrally develop heating and cooling without external cycles. The elimination of the external heating cycle and external cooling cycles, provides air conditioning and refrigeration at higher efficiency and at a lower cost of initial installation.
The absorption principle used in this invention includes a stripper-generator in which a mixture of refrigerant and absorbent has heat energy applied thereto and the refrigerant is expelled as a vapor from the mixed solution introduced into the stripper-generator. The expelled vaporized refrigerant is then condensed by a heat exchanger which removes the heat of vaporization, reducing the vapor to liquid refrigerant. The cooled, liquid refrigerant is then appplied to an evaporator which provides the temperature drop for air conditioning purposes by removing heat from air or water or other medium used for air conditioning or refrigeration purposes, and converting that heat into heat of vaporization of the refrigerant. The absorbent is cooled and combined with the vaporized refrigerant in an absorber and cooled by external air or water used for heat extraction from the system. The heat applied to the stripper-generator along with the heat removed from the air conditioning or refrigeration use is removed by the external air or liquid medium.
Although there is a similar process included in the present invention, the process differs by being integral to the included elements. In this invention, the stripper-generator is preferably located at the solar collector, such that solar heat is applied directly to a flat vessel containing the mixture of refrigerant and absorbent. By such direct application, a separate hot water cycle is avoided and the attendant loss of thermal efficiency due to such separated water cycle is avoided. Further, and as preferable with the present invention, the overall heat removal process is accomplished by location of the refrigerant condenser operation and the absorber at and within a deep water well, used for high efficiency heat removal from the system. This provides a lowered temperature of liquid refrigerant to be applied to the evaporator, raising the system efficiency. The water well is provided with a thermal sensor such that water may be withdrawn and expelled from the well, in the event that the water temperature at the top of the well exceeds a predetermined temperature. This automatic feature insures that the temperature of the liquid refrigerant will be less than a predetermined value when applied to the evaporator for refrigeration or air conditioning purposes, precluding excessive water flow without automatic control.